Germany's conservative CSU approved a coalition deal with its CDU sister party and the Social Democrats (SPD) on Thursday, a day after they presented a programme to revive growth in Europe's biggest economy and take a tougher line on migration.

The agreement was concluded relatively quickly but still took about six and half weeks, during which the country had been virtually rudderless at a critical moment for Europe.

Conservatives and Social Democrats aim to boost defense spending, cut migration; Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, frozen out of new government, tops poll for first time